Cartridge-magazine for firearms



C. A. NELSON.

CARTRIDGE MAGAZINE FOR FIREARI/Is.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22, IBIS.

Patented June 17, 1919.

5 vwe MIO@ a Mm IIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIII IIIIAIIIIII" UNTTED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

CHARLES A. NELSON, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO SAVAGE ARMS CORI?OIIK.A'ILIO1\T,v l s A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. y

. CARTRIDGE-MAGAZINE FOR FIREABLMS.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented J 11317, 1919.

Application filed August 22, '1916.` Serial No. 116,231.

'o all whom it may. concern Y Be it known that I, CHARLES A. NELSON, a United States citizen, residing at Utica, N ew York, have invented the following-described Improvements in Cartridge-Magazines for Firearms.

The invention concerns the structure of the magazine chambers in that type of tirearm in which the magazine is disposed directly beneath the breech bolt and bottleneck cartridges therein are fed upwardly by aspring-pressed follower or other mechanism and the purpose of the invention is to facilitate such upward movement by reduc tion of the frictional surfaces engaged and also to protect the points of the cartridges from in]ury by contact with the magazine chamber or other part, the new construction being thus particularly useful for soft-nosed cartridges. The further purpose of the invention is to accomplish these results by a construction simple. and rugged in form and inexpensive to manufacture, all as willbe made apparent from the description which follows.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure l represents in longitudinal section part of the breech of a bolt-action rifle, showing the new magazine chamber applied;

Fig. 2 a top plan of the chamber of Fig. l,

modified types of construction applied to` single column magazines.

The magazine chamber is constituted by a box-like metallic casing 1, oblono' in its horizontal cross-section and securedD in the gun structure with its upper end opening into the breech-bolt chamber and .its lower end closed by a removable cover-plate 2. This cover-plate also forms the abutment and support for the leaf-spring 3 of the follower 4. It will be understood that when the magazine is full,- the follower will be depressed. as in Fig. 3, and will urge the topmost cartridge against the under side of the breech-bolt 5. and thatA when the latter is reeiprocated the cartridges will be successively` cated in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1 to y5, the cartridges form a staggered or double column in the magazine casing and the follower is provided with a rib 6 at. one side vof the lowest cartridge, to support and guide the cartridge next above it and thus maintain the staggered arrangement without cramping. In this form the top cartridge is thus guided by one or the other of the curved surfaces 7wof the breech casmg, into the position Where its head is encountered by the reciprocating bolt 5, to be advanced into tiring position thereby, the bolt thus picking off the top cartridge tirst from one side of the Column and then from the other, as will be found sufficiently indi- The longitudinal side walls of the magazine casing are formed with a pair of opposite vertical ribs 8, projecting inwardly from the general planes of said walls near the bases of the contained cartridges. and serving as tracks upon which the cartridges may roll or slide as they move upward. The said side walls are also provided with a second similar pair of vertical ribs 9, projecting inwardly just forward of the shoulders of the bottle-necked cartridges,

and these ribs, which I shall term the (engaging the cartridge shoulders) tol pre,

Vent endwise or forward displacement of the cartridges, which might bring their bullets into contact with the front Wall of the casing and mutilate or blunt them. The casing itself may be made of sheet metal and the pairs of opposite ribs can be conveniently formed by crimping or creasing the metal, as shown in Figs. l to 5, and also in Fig. 7 and both pairs of ribs are tapered ,ed at the top edges vof the casing which are straight (Fig. 2) so that along these edges the ribs are flush with the side walls of the casing. Thus. the shoulder ribs prevent the noses of the cartridges from coming in contact with the front wall of the casing while they are stored or moved upwardly within the casing, but the topmost cartridge is free to travel forward as soon as the bolt has been drawn fully to the rear and said topmost cartridge has risen to a height where 1t will engage with the bolt when this member is pushed forward. The contour of the follower plate 4 may of course conform to the ribs.

In Fig. 7 the single column magazine casing 10 having the base ribs 8 and shoulder ribs 9, will be seen to be the same in principle as in Figs. 1 to 5.v

In Fig. 6, the double column magazine casing 1l is provided with the rear track ribs 8, having the functions already' described, but the shoulder ribs are here constituted by the rounded edges of an inserted U-shaped feeler piece occupying the forward part of the casing. Fig. 8 illustrates the same kind of construction applied to a single column casing, as will be evident.

In al1 of the described forms it will be observed tha't the points of the soft-nosed bullets are confined to the vertical and other- Wise vacant channel forward of the shoulder ribs and are prevented from contact with any part of the chamber by engagement of said ribs with the shoulders of the cartridge shells. The protection of the bullet points is continued during lthe feeding motion and after the cartridge has moved above the upper ends vof the shoulder ribs by notching the front wall of the casing, as shown at 13, and sloping the entrance to the breech, as indicated at 14, so that .the cartridge is directed into place by the engagement of the steel jacketed side part of the bullet rather than by its soft unjacketed nose, as intended to be indicated'by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. In a magazine firearm, a magazine casing incorporated as a permanent part thereof and provided with opposite vertical track ribs for the'bases vof the contained cartridges, and shoulder ribs for lthe shoulders of the sides of the cartridges with the body por-v tions of the side walls of the casing.

3. In a magazine firearm, amagazine casing provided with vertical track and shoulder ribs adapted to engage and guide cartridges contained in the b'odyportion and limit their forward movement, said ribs being tapered olf at the top of the casing flush with the upper edges o said casing to permit the free forward feeding movement of 'the uppermost cartridge.

4. In a magazine firearm, a magazinecasing provided with opposite shoulder ribs adapted to engage with the shoulders of the cartridges and prevent forward displacement of the cartridgesin the casing and the engagement of the noses thereof with the front end of the casing, said ribs being taperedJof at the top ofthe casing to permit the free forward movement of the uppernwst; cartridge in the casing.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

CHARLES NELSON. Y 

